US8100220B2 - Vehicle having auxiliary steering system - Google Patents

Abstract

A mobile material placer with an auxiliary steering system having a direct hydraulic drive mechanism. The mobile material placer includes a body, a material hopper coupled to the body and configured to receive and store material, a feeder conveyor coupled to the body, and a placer conveyor pivotally coupled to the body. The auxiliary steering system includes a direct hydraulic drive mechanism coupled to the steering column and which causes the steering column to rotate bidirectionally in response to fluid flow from a hydraulic pump.

Description

PRIORITY

This application claims priority to and benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/040,528 filed Mar. 28, 2008, entitled, “Vehicle Having Auxiliary Steering System” and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/044,361, filed Apr. 11, 2008, entitled, “Vehicle Auxiliary Steering System,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein for all purposes.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

It is well known that many tasks such as: the construction of driveways, roadways, and asphalt surfaces; the back filling of retaining walls; and the distribution of aggregate, mulch, soil and the like, can be extremely labor intensive. For example, delivery of aggregate to a roadway construction site typically involves: (i) loading a dump truck at an aggregate storage facility, (ii) transporting the aggregate to the construction site, (iii) dumping the aggregate in a mound, (iv) manually filling a wheelbarrow, (v) wheeling the aggregate to a selected location, and (iv) dumping the wheelbarrow load at that location. Each of these steps involves a great deal of time and labor. Furthermore, at each of these steps material may be spilled, wasted or otherwise strewn about the construction site. This waste results in an unsightly and potentially environmentally hazardous construction site and can create a potential road hazard if gravel material is picked up by the tires of passing vehicles and thrown into the air. This picked-up material can injure unprotected pedestrians or damage property such as the windshields of passing vehicles.

To address the inefficiencies inherent in these steps, a number of mobile material placers have been designed. Certain of these known mobile placers include an auxiliary power train and an auxiliary steering system to enable remote operation of the vehicle. The auxiliary power train or drive train enables an operator to drive the vehicle back and forth at a controlled velocity. The auxiliary steering system enables an operator to remotely rotate the steering column to turn or steer the moving vehicle.

Certain known auxiliary steering systems unitize an indirect driving mechanism to rotate the steering column. These auxiliary steering systems having an indirect steering drive generally incorporate a sprocket, chain and jackshaft combination. However, when the material placer is operated, foreign material or the conveyed material, such as sand, rocks or dirt can become caught or otherwise interfere with the moving parts of the auxiliary steering mechanism. In particular, the material may become caught between the chain, sprocket and jackshaft. This causes excessive wear of the indirect driving mechanism, thus leading to high costs in replacement parts and increased downtime. When the steering angle changes with the known chain and sprocket system, binding or breakage in the moving parts can occur which can cause reliability issues. Moreover, slack in the chains can cause reduced steering precision.

It would be advantageous to provide a system, apparatus and/or method that addresses these limitations and simplifies the process of constructing and/or maintaining a roadway or distributing material around a construction site.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

In one embodiment, a vehicle is provided with an auxiliary steering system having a direct hydraulic drive motor and auxiliary drive system for remotely controlling both the direction and forward and backward motion of the vehicle. The vehicle can be operated in a manual mode by a driver in a cab of the vehicle, or in a remote mode. In the manual mode, the operator steers the vehicle by turning a steering wheel connected to a steering shaft, and operates the accelerator to move the vehicle forward and backward. In the remote mode, the auxiliary drive and auxiliary steering systems enable remote control of the vehicle speed and direction by a vehicle operator located out of the vehicle cab.

The auxiliary steering system includes a direct hydraulic drive motor coupled to the steering column. A remote control unit transmits signals wirelessly to a receiver and a control box, which regulates the valves to direct fluid flow through the direct drive hydraulic motor. The flow of hydraulic fluid through the direct hydraulic drive motor is controlled by directional valves. Accordingly, the mobile placer having an auxiliary steering system with a direct hydraulic drive enables the vehicle to be steered remotely from the vehicle cab.

In one embodiment, a vehicle is provided that includes a frame; a vehicle steering system wherein at least a portion of the vehicle steering system is mounted to the frame; a rotatable steering column; wheels coupled to the steering column and configured to turn in response to a rotation of the steering column; and an auxiliary steering system configured to rotate the steering column during remote operation of the material placer, the auxiliary steering mechanism including a direct hydraulic drive motor.

In an embodiment, the vehicle is a mobile material placer. In an embodiment, the vehicle includes a remote control system configured to wirelessly transmit signals to a controller, the controller configured to control at least the operation of the auxiliary steering system. In an embodiment, the vehicle includes control means for remotely transmitting signals to the auxiliary steering system, the signals causing hydraulic fluid to flow in a bidirectional manner through the direct hydraulic drive mechanism. In an embodiment, the auxiliary steering system further includes, a hydraulic pump, and a hydraulic fluid reservoir, the hydraulic drive motor and the hydraulic pump fluidly connected to the hydraulic fluid reservoir.

In one embodiment, a mobile material placer is provided. The mobile material placer includes a body and a material hopper coupled to the body and configured to receive and store material. The material placer includes a feeder conveyor coupled to the body. The feeder conveyor is configured to receive material stored by the material hopper. A placer conveyor is coupled pivotally to the body and has an in-feed end and a discharge end. The in-feed end of the placer conveyor is alignable with a discharge end of the feeder conveyor. The mobile material placer includes both an auxiliary drive mechanism and an auxiliary steering system. The auxiliary drive mechanism is configured to rotate a driveline during remote operation of the material placer, thereby causing the vehicle to move backward and forward. The auxiliary steering system causes rotation of a steering column of the vehicle and includes a direct hydraulic drive mechanism coupled to the steering column.

In an embodiment, the mobile material placer further includes a hydraulic drive motor coupled to the steering column, a hydraulic pump, and a hydraulic fluid reservoir, the hydraulic drive motor and the hydraulic pump fluidly connected to the hydraulic fluid reservoir.

In an embodiment, hydraulic drive motor includes a first hydraulic fluid port and a second hydraulic fluid port, and rotates the steering column in a bidirectional manner in response to hydraulic fluid flow from the hydraulic pump.

In an embodiment, the direct hydraulic drive mechanism is mounted to the steering column in an inline fashion.

In an embodiment, the mobile material placer includes a remote control system configured to control at least the operation of the auxiliary steering system.

In an embodiment, the direct hydraulic drive motor is a rotary vane type motor.

In an embodiment a method of dispensing material using a mobile material placer is provided. The method includes: loading material into a material hopper; conveying the material from an in-feed end of a feeder conveyor to a discharge end of the feeder conveyor; discharging the material from the discharge end of the feeder conveyor to an in-feed end of a placer conveyor, said placer conveyor including an endless conveyor belt frictionally driven about a plurality of rollers; transmitting a signal remotely to cause hydraulic fluid to be pumped through a direct drive hydraulic motor coupled to a steering column, thus causing rotation of the steering column; conveying the material from the in-feed end of the placer conveyor to a discharge end of the placer conveyor; and discharging the material from the discharge end of the placer conveyor to a worksite. In an embodiment, the direct drive hydraulic motor is coupled to the steering column, a hydraulic pump, and a hydraulic fluid reservoir, the direct drive hydraulic motor and the hydraulic pump fluidly connected to the hydraulic fluid reservoir. In an embodiment, the method includes bidirectionally pumping fluid through the direct drive hydraulic motor, wherein the hydraulic motor includes a first hydraulic fluid port and a second hydraulic fluid port. In an embodiment, the method of dispensing material includes controlling remotely at least the operation of the steering column.

In the embodiments described above, because the direct hydraulic drive motor of the auxiliary steering system does not include exposed moving parts such as chains and sprockets, wear and tear of the steering system due to any dislodged conveyed material or other foreign material can be substantially avoided. Moreover, the turning precision of the vehicle can be improved due to the direct hydraulic drive motor.

Additional features and advantages are described herein, and will be apparent from, the following Detailed Description and the figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a side view of a mobile placer with a placing conveyor and an auxiliary steering system having a direct hydraulic drive mechanism.

FIG. 2 is a top view of a mobile placer with a placing conveyor and an auxiliary steering system having a direct hydraulic drive mechanism.

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of an embodiment of a mobile placer with an auxiliary steering system having a direct hydraulic drive mechanism.

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an auxiliary drive and auxiliary steering system.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a direct hydraulic drive motor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A mobile material placer or slinger constructed according to the teachings of the present disclosure includes a body coupled to a frame, a material hopper attached to the body, a primary conveyor coupled to the body, where the primary conveyor is positioned and arranged to receive material from the material hopper. A placer conveyer is pivotally coupled to the body and adjustable side-to-side and up and down relative to the body. The placer conveyor is positioned and arranged to receive material from the primary conveyor and rapidly discharge, sling or fling material to a worksite. Accordingly, the material placers of the present embodiments are able to rapidly direct and project material such as, for example, aggregate, across a job site to a desired location that may not be accessible to the mobile placer, while also having the ability to simultaneously move or drive.

It should be appreciated that although the direct drive hydraulic motor is described below with respect to an auxiliary steering system of a mobile material placer, the direct drive mechanism may be used in an auxiliary steering system of other commercial vehicles that use a remote steering function. Such vehicles can include, but are not limited to, cement mixing trucks, pavers, seeders, water trucks, and material spraying vehicles.

Mobile Placer

Referring to the drawings,FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate an example of amobile placer100 or slinger according to one embodiment, which includes anauxiliary steering system200. Theauxiliary steering system200 enables themobile placer100 to be remotely steered by transmitting radio signals from a remote control unit or transmitter300 (FIG. 4). As described in further detail below,auxiliary steering system200 is driven by a direct drive hydraulic motor202 (FIG. 3).Mobile placer100 in the illustrated embodiment further includes a truck chassis, anoperator cab124, abody102 coupled to and carried by aframe104, amaterial hopper106 mounted integrally to theframe104, aprimary conveyor108, and a high-speed placing orplacer conveyor110 which is mounted pivotally toframe104. It should be appreciated that in other embodiments, the mobile placer does not have acab124 and is driven instead remotely by an operator.

In one embodiment,mobile placer100 is configured to operate on a truck chassis such as, for example, a KENWORTH® T-800 premium truck chassis. Other truck or heavy-duty chassis may be used alternatively. In one exemplary embodiment,mobile placer100 is mounted to atruck frame104, which includes, for example, a SPICER® EFA twenty-thousand pound (lb) front axel and a SPICER® DSH forty-thousand pound (lb) rear axel. Mounted to the rear axel is at least one set ofrear tires122, and mounted to the front axel is a set offront tires123.Mobile placer100 also includes atruck cab124, an engine (not shown), and adrive train112. In one example, the engine is a CATERPILLAR® C-13 engine with four hundred-thirty horsepower (“hp”) and sixteen-hundred and fifty lb-ft of torque. The engine is alternatively a CATERPILLAR® model 3054C 86HPTM Tier 2 compliant engine. Other truck or heavy-duty engines may be used alternatively. The engine moves or drivesmobile placer100 in a forward or reverse direction. The engine also drives a hydraulic motor which in turn drives theauxiliary steering system200 and other components ofmobile placer100.

In operation, the material to be conveyed or dispensed is loaded into thematerial hopper106 by, for example, a back how, skid steer or excavator, and is gravity fed onto afirst end114 of theprimary conveyor108. Thematerial hopper106 may be constructed of a high tensile strength steel, such as ten gauge sheeting, that meets required ratings for a load capacity of at least six cubic meters in one embodiment. It is contemplated to constructmaterial hopper106 from lighter, high-strength materials, such as a high strength plastic hopper. Hipper106 can be sized for other load capacities depending on the applications and equipment. Thehopper106 may further include one or more hopper extensions (not shown) that increases or extends the width of the hopper opening to facilitate loading and to increase load capacity.Hopper106 may still further include a vibratory agitator with a timer to facilitate the transport of material fromhopper106 down toprimary conveyor108. In other exemplary embodiments,hopper106 may be spring mounted to frame104 to control vibration and assist with material transport, and/or may include exterior mounted skirt adjustments to increasehopper106 capacity (not shown).

In an embodiment, theprimary conveyor108 includes aprimary conveyor belt116 that can, for example, be driven by the hydraulic motor (not shown). Theprimary conveyor belt116 travels around a primaryconveyor head roller120 and a primaryconveyor tail roller118. Theprimary conveyor belt116 is further supported by several sets of troughing rollers (not shown). In one example, theprimary conveyor belt116 is an eighteen inch wide two-ply troughing belt. Theprimary conveyor belt116 includes adjacently placed cleats to convey the material.Primary conveyor belt116 may have larger or smaller widths as needed.

In an alternative embodiment,primary conveyor108 is a positive start cartridge type with a non-troughing conveyor belt. In this embodiment, the track of theprimary conveyor108 is at least twenty inches wide to accommodate a larger variety of materials that spin through a bottom opening (not shown) in thematerial hopper106. The cartridge type primary conveyor can be a self-contained unit or stand-alone unit that is slid into thebody102 of themobile placer100. The cartridge type primary conveyor can therefore be slid out of thebody102 for repair or replacement. The cartridge type primary conveyor can be cleated as discussed above.

In an embodiment, theprimary conveyor108 is chain driven and includes a plurality of chain links extending around a gear and linked to form a continuous chain (not shown). Here,primary conveyor108 includes a conveyor mount, a drive assembly (not shown) and aprimary conveyor belt116. The conveyor mount (not shown) can be mounted to theframe104 of themobile placer100. The drive assembly is mounted to the conveyor mount. In one embodiment, the drive assembly includes a set of gears (not shown) having teeth that engage the links of the chain and drive the chain in a particular direction.

As seen inFIG. 1, thehead roller118, thetail roller120, the troughing rollers, and theprimary conveyor belt116 cooperate to convey material up an incline from an in-feed end113 of theprimary conveyor108 to adischarge end114 of theprimary conveyor108. If, for example, troughing rollers are to be used in an application, several sets of troughing rollers may be arranged along the length of theprimary conveyor108 to help support the weight of the material being conveyed. Moreover, additional sets of troughing rollers may be positioned near the in-feed end114 of theprimary conveyor108. Here, the greater number of troughing rollers at the in-feed end114 of theprimary conveyor108 helps to support the greater mass of material contained in thematerial hopper106 at that position. In one embodiment, theprimary conveyor108 includes one or more skirts and one or more primary conveyor skirt supports to at least partially contain the conveyed material. After the material has been conveyed to thedischarge end114 of theprimary conveyor108, the material is discharged onto the placing orplacer conveyor110, as described in further detail below.

In an embodiment, themobile placer100 does not include a cab and is operated entirely by a remote control, such as the HETRONIC™ radio remote control. The remote control can be configured with separate controls for operating theprimary conveyor108 and theplacer conveyor110. The remote control also includes one or more controls to enable the entiremobile placer100 to move forward and reverse and to be steered in different directions. Additionally, the remote control includes one or more controls to enable theplacer conveyor110 to pivot from side-to-side and tilt up and down.

In another embodiment, themobile placer100 includes a four-wheel steering system to facilitate maneuvering in relatively confined areas. In this embodiment, the front and rear axles may, for example, be twenty thousand pound crab steering axles or any other type suitable axle.Wheels122 and123 may be 15″×19.5″ flotation tires. Thefront wheels123 may pivot independently fromrear wheels122, or either the front123 or rear122 wheels may pivot while other of the wheels do not pivot.

In one embodiment, the mobile placer includes an additional feeder conveyor that feeds material from a separate feed hopper (not shown) into themain material hopper106.

Theplacer conveyor110 functions in a similar manner to theprimary conveyor108, the functioning of which is discussed above with reference toFIG. 1. As mentioned above, theprimary conveyor108 conveys material that is gravity fed from thehopper106 up an incline and then discharges the material onto an in-feed end140 of theplacer conveyor110. In general, theplacer conveyor110 includes at least the following elements: (a) a frame; (b) a plurality of axles rotatably mounted to the frame, each axle having at least one roller coupled to the axle; (c) an endless belt driven around the rollers; and (d) a direct hydraulic drive operatively coupled to one of the axles.

In an embodiment, theplacer conveyor110 mounts to thebody102 of themobile placer100 via aswing arm assembly130. Theswing arm assembly130 includes aswing arm hinge132 mounted to define a substantially vertical axis, aswing arm yoke134 mounted to define a substantially horizontal axis, and a swingarm mounting bumper136 coupled thereto. Theplacer conveyor110 is pivotally mounted to theswing arm yoke134 at an in-feed end140 of theplacer conveyor110. Aconveyor lift cylinder142 also supportsplacer conveyor110, so that discharge end144 of theconveyor110 can be free to move side-to-side and up and down. The placingconveyor lift cylinder142 is coupled to theswing arm assembly130 mounted toplacer conveyor110 via a placer conveyorupper cylinder mount146.

Theswing arm hinge132 allows theplacer conveyor110 to rotate about a vertical axis defined by a centerline of theswing arm hinge132. Theplacer conveyor110 may therefore rotate in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, relative to theswing arm hinge132, to convey and dispense material in an arc around the mobile placer100 (FIG. 2). Similarly, the placerconveyor lift cylinder142 elevates or lowers theplacer conveyor110 relative to a pivot axis defined along theswing arm yoke134. Alternative arrangements of pivot points, hinges, or ball joints may be employed alternatively to allow theplacer conveyor110 to rotate about both horizontal and vertical axes.

Referring toFIG. 1, in an embodiment, theplacer conveyor110 includes ashield154 or secondary conveyor mounted adjacent to the in-feed end140 of theplacer conveyor110. When material is first deposited on theplacer conveyor110, the moving belt of theplacer conveyor110 rapidly accelerates the material to the velocity of the moving belt. Theshield154 is mounted above theplacer conveyor110 and guides the conveyed material and also restricts conveyed material from bouncing or deflecting out of theplacer conveyor110 when the material is initially deposited on the moving belt. Theshield154 also settles the material and assists in guiding the material down theplacer conveyor110. Theshield154 includes a conveyor belt (not shown), which drives at substantially the same velocity and in the same direction as the placer conveyor belt (not shown), such that the material is conveyed between a region defined by the lower surface of the conveyor belt ofshield154 and the upper surface of the placer conveyor belt. In this embodiment, the conveyor belt of theshield154 is driven by a motor and operated so that the velocity of this conveyor belt is approximately equal to the velocity of the conveyor belt of theplacer conveyor110. In an alternate embodiment, theshield154 is unpowered and the conveyor belt of the shield is able to freely travel around a plurality ofshield rollers170. The region defined between the shield conveyor belt and the placer conveyor belt172, in this example, is a substantially parallel area spaced apart and arranged to partially compress, settle, and/or shape the conveyed material. Because theshield154 is not powered, the conveyor belt of theshield154 is driven passively by the friction of the material forced into the space between the belt of theplacer conveyor110 and the belt of theshield154. Theshield154 may further be mounted removably to theplacer conveyor110 and adjustable with respect to theplacer conveyor110 to accommodate different types of material.

As illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 2, theplacer conveyor110 includes adrive axle186 and driveroller160.Placer conveyor110 includes at least oneadditional axle198 androller180 combination that is located at the opposite end of theplacer conveyor frame196 from thedrive axle186 and roller160 (FIG. 1). Theadditional axle198 androller180 combination is a passive assembly. That is, it is not driven. The tworollers160 and180 provide a path around which the placer conveyor belt172 can be driven at a high velocity as thedrive axle186 is rotated by a hydraulic motor (not shown).

In an embodiment, theplacer conveyor110 includes a plurality of sets of placer conveyor rollers or troughingrollers174 that support the placer conveyor belt172. Theplacer conveyor rollers174 are mounted below the upper surface of the placer conveyor belt172. At least some of therollers174 define axes oblique from the placer conveyor belt172 such that the placer conveyor belt172 forms a general trough-like or v-like shape.Rollers174 could alternatively be slightly conically shaped to form the trough or v-like shape. Alternatively,rollers174 and positioned and arranged so that placer conveyor belt172 forms a flat profile.

Troughing rollers174 facilitate the conveyance of material from the in-feed end140 of theplacer conveyor110 to thedischarge end144 of theplacer conveyor110. Several sets of troughingrollers174 are arranged along the length of theplacer conveyor110 to help support the mass of the material. The placer conveyor belt172 can convey material regardless of whetherplacer conveyor110 is in an inclined, horizontal or declined position. In operation, therollers174 guide and facilitate the movement of material from the in-feed end140 of theplacer conveyor110 to thedischarge end144 of theplacer conveyor110.

The placer conveyor belt172 may be a fourteen inch wide two-ply belt, and/or may include cleats (not shown) extending from and permanently mounted to theplacer conveyor belt104. Placer conveyor belt172 can be widened as necessary.

Adeflector182 is optionally attached to thedischarge end144 of theplacer conveyor110 to further direct or deflect the conveyed material in a specific direction. In one example, thedeflector182 is arranged to deflect material projected from thedischarge end144 of theplacer conveyor110 downwardly into the ground. Downward deflection is used in, for example, a roadside application where it is not necessary to project the material over a long distance. In another example, thedeflector182 is adjusted so deflect the material upward to discharge the material into the air. This may be appropriate in an application with limited access where the placingconveyor110 may not be able to pivot vertically.Deflector182 may be one or more of adjustable, removable, and permanently fixed toplacer conveyor110.

In one embodiment, the in-feed end140 of theplacer conveyor110 is located below ahead roll120 of theprimary conveyor108. As the material is conveyed over the discharge edge of theprimary conveyor108, the material drops accordingly from theprimary conveyor belt116 onto theplacer conveyor110.

In one embodiment, theplacer conveyor110 is able to rotate approximately one-hundred eighty degrees, that the placer conveyor can be turned to be positioned adjacent to the primary hopper. The mobile placer thereby becomes a relatively compact unit that can be driven along a roadway.

Auxiliary Steering System Having Direct Hydraulic Drive System

As illustrated inFIG. 3, in one embodiment, theoverall steering system206 of themobile placer100 includes asteering column208, asteering wheel210, apower steering manifold212, steerable wheels123 (FIG. 1) mounted on an axle150 (FIG. 1), and anauxiliary steering system200, which are operatively coupled together to steer themobile placer100 in either a manual drive mode or a remote drive mode.

Power steering manifold212 is mounted to theframe104 of themobile placer100 and is pressurized via hydraulic fluid supplied fromfluid reservoir250 and through power steeringhydraulic conduit214. In an embodiment, thehydraulic fluid reservoir250 supplying thepower steering manifold212 is separate from thehydraulic fluid reservoir232 supplying theauxiliary steering system200. Thepower steering manifold212 provides steering assistance in either the manual drive mode or the remote drive mode. Thesteering wheel210 is coupled to thesteering column208, and the upper portion of thesteering column208 is supported by a bearing (not shown) mounted to a portion of theframe104 of themobile placer100. A direct drivehydraulic motor202 is mounted in-line between thepower steering manifold212 and thesteering column208.

Direct drivehydraulic motor202 is one component of theauxiliary steering system200 and provides additional steering assistance (i.e., supplementing the steering assistance provided by power steering manifold212) when themobile placer100 is operated in the remote drive mode. In the manual drive mode, the vehicle operator is located in the vehicle cab124 (FIG. 1) and is manually manipulating thesteering wheel210 to steer themobile placer100. In the remote drive mode, the vehicle operator is re-located out of thecab124 of themobile placer100 and is remotely controlling theauxiliary steering system200 to cause the directhydraulic drive motor202 to steer themobile placer100. That is, in the remote drive mode, the directhydraulic drive motor202 provides remote steering control of themobile placer100 in the absence of direct operator control of thesteering wheel210. In the remote drive mode, because thesteering column208 and thesteering wheel210 are operatively coupled to the direct drivehydraulic motor202, thesteering wheel210 turns passively in response to the remote operator control of the direct drivehydraulic motor202.

Referring toFIG. 3, adrive shaft218 couples thepower steering manifold212 to the direct drivehydraulic motor202. In an embodiment, a u-joint216 is mounted to thepower steering mechanism212 to allow for any misalignment between thepower steering manifold212 and the direct drivehydraulic motor202. The direct drivehydraulic motor202 is also mounted to theframe104 of themobile placer100 via a mountingbracket224. Another u-joint220 is coupled to the opposite side of the direct drivehydraulic motor202. This u-joint220 allows for any misalignment between the direct drivehydraulic motor202 and thesteering column208. In an embodiment, thesteering column208 includes aspline adjuster222 to allow for lateral movement of thesteering column208 andsteering wheel210 relative to the mountingbracket224 and frame104 of themobile placer100. Therefore, as illustrated inFIG. 3, the direct drivehydraulic motor202 is mounted in an inline fashion between thepower steering manifold212 and thesteering column208. Driveshaft218 in one embodiment runs directly through the interior portion270 (FIG. 5) of the direct drivehydraulic motor202, as described further below.

As illustrated inFIGS. 3 and 4,auxiliary steering system200 further includes: (a) ahydraulic pump230; (b) ahydraulic fluid reservoir232; (c) a direct drivehydraulic motor202; (d) aremote signal transmitter300; (e) asignal receiver302; (f) acontroller304; (g) a plurality ofvalves306; (h) a power take-off312; (i) abypass valve314; and (j) hydraulicfluid conduits234,236,314 and320. Thefluid conduits234,236,314 and320 can include any of a hydraulic hose, tube, or any other conduit type that is capable of containing and transmitting hydraulic fluid at the required operating pressures. The power take-off312 draws mechanical power from themain engine310 of themobile placer100 and uses it to power thehydraulic pump230. Thehydraulic pump230 pumps hydraulic fluid from thehydraulic fluid reservoir232 throughfluid conduits234,236,314 and320 to maintain theauxiliary steering system200 at a desired operating pressure. A pressure regulator may be used to control the hydraulic pressure of theauxiliary steering system200. Thefluid conduits320,234,236 and314 are connected to a set ofvalves306 or valve manifold.Fluid conduits234 and236 are also coupled toports242 and240, respectively, (FIG. 3) of the direct drivehydraulic motor202. The hydraulic fluid can be pumped in either direction through the direct drivehydraulic motor202 depending on the steering commands provided by thesignal transmitter300 and the corresponding valves activated invalve manifold306.

In operation, a vehicle operator operates a signal transmitter300 (e.g., a remote control) to send radio signals to asignal receiver302. In an embodiment, the remote control maybe either a HETRONIC™ or Omnex™ radio remote control. Besides the remote control ofauxiliary steering system200,remote transmitter300 also switches valves invalve manifold306 viaelectrical controller304 to anauxiliary drive motor340, which causes the entiremobile placer100 to move forwards and backwards. As shown inFIG. 4,fluid conduits330 and332 connect theauxiliary drive motor340 tovalve manifold306, which enables theauxiliary drive motor340 to be powered by the samehydraulic pump230 that powers the direct drivehydraulic motor202 for steering.

Regarding theauxiliary steering system200, to turn the wheels123 (FIG. 1) of themobile placer100 in one direction, thesignal receiver302 receives a signal sent by the signal transmitter300 (and operator) and transmits the signal tocontroller304. Thecontroller304 in turn electrically causes certain valves in thevalve manifold306 connected tofluid conduits234 and236 to open or close. To steer thewheels123 in a first direction, thehydraulic pump230 pumps the hydraulic fluid through, e.g.,hydraulic line234 and into port242 (FIG. 3) of the direct drivehydraulic motor202. The force of the pressurized hydraulic fluid is transmitted to driveshaft218 as the fluid travels in a given direction through the direct drivehydraulic motor202. The force of the hydraulic fluid transmitted to thedrive shaft218 causes thesteering column208 to rotate and also causes thewheels123 of themobile placer100 to steer in a first direction with the aid ofpower steering mechanism212. The hydraulic fluid then flows throughport240 of the direct drivehydraulic motor202 and flows throughvalve manifold306, thus completing a closed hydraulic circuit.

To steer thewheels123 in the opposite direction, the direction of flow of hydraulic fluid through the closed hydraulic circuit is reversed. Here for example,hydraulic pump230 pumps the hydraulic fluid from thefluid reservoir232, throughfluid conduit236 and intoport240 of the direct drivehydraulic motor202. As described above, the force of the pressurized hydraulic fluid is transmitted to thedrive shaft218 as the fluid travels through the direct drivehydraulic motor202. The force of the hydraulic fluid transmitted to thedrive shaft218 causes thesteering column208 to rotate in the reverse direction and also causes the wheels of the vehicle to turn in the opposite direction via the aid of thepower steering manifold212. The hydraulic fluid then flows throughport242 of thehydraulic motor202, and flows throughhydraulic line234 back to thehydraulic valve manifold306 for reuse, thus completing a closed hydraulic circuit.

Thus, it should be appreciated that the direct drivehydraulic steering motor202 can be operated in a bidirectional manner such that thedrive shaft218 is rotated in either a clockwise or counterclockwise manner, causing thewheels123 of themobile placer100 to turn to the right or the left. Pump230 supplies hydraulic power and the switching of hydraulic valves invalve manifold306 via operator andremote controller300 determines which way driveshaft218 of the direct drivehydraulic steering motor202 spins.

In the illustrated embodiment, theauxiliary steering system200 includes abypass valve308 that is opened when the vehicle is operated in manual drive mode (i.e., where the vehicle operator is located in the cab). As illustrated inFIG. 4,bypass valve308 is coupled tofluid conduit314.Fluid conduit314 is fluidly coupled betweenfluid conduits234 and236. The rotation of thedrive shaft218 inside the direct drivehydraulic motor202 forces hydraulic fluid to openbypass valve308, and the remaining valves invalve manifold306 which are connected tofluid conduits234 and236 are closed. In manual drive mode, therefore when the operator of the vehicle is turning thesteering wheel210, thedrive shaft218 in the directhydraulic drive motor202 is being rotated by the operator only, withauxiliary steering system200 being neutralized.

Thus, even when themobile placer100 is being operated in remote drive mode, the vehicle operator can enter the cab124 (FIG. 1) of themobile placer100 and physically turn thesteering wheel210 to override the commands sent by thecontroller304. As discussed, the operating hydraulic pressures of theauxiliary steering system200 may be overcome manually by a vehicle operator so as not to prevent a vehicle operator from climbing in thecab154 of the vehicle and manually turning the steering wheel whilesystem200 is being activated. This feature is needed so that a vehicle operator of average strength can quickly climb into the vehicle and take control.

As mentioned above, direct drivehydraulic motor202 transforms fluid energy from the hydraulic fluid pressurized viapump230 into rotary mechanical power. The rotary mechanical power is applied to the shaft or driveaxle218 of theauxiliary steering system200. In general, the direct drivehydraulic motor202 includes: (a) a driving surface area or pressure surface that is subject to a pressure differential; (b) a means for porting pressurized hydraulic fluid to the pressure surface to achieve either a clockwise or counterclockwise rotation of the drive shaft; and (c) a mechanical connection between the pressure surface and the drive shaft. In an example embodiment illustrated inFIG. 5, the direct drivehydraulic motor202 is a rotary vane type motor that includes: (a) arotor284 mounted to thedrive shaft218 and having a plurality ofrotary vanes288a,288band288cmounted or coupled torotor284; (b) inlet/outlet port240 and inlet/outlet port242; (c) aseal plate282 mounted about therotor284; and (d) a plurality ofrotational seal members280 and281 that cooperate with theseal plate282 and therotary vanes288a,288band288c.

Seal members are driven in a 1:1 ratio withshaft218 and include openings as shown that allowvanes288ato288cto pass through the seal member asshaft218 spins.Seal member280 and281 are accordingly positioned in geared relationship withvanes288ato288cto enable such a meshed combination of rotation to occur. Seal members contact bothseal plate282 and the inside wall ofhousing290, which defines an interior hydraulicfluid space270 betweenhousing290 andshaft218.Seal members280 and281 accordingly force hydraulic fluid entering from eitherport240 or242 to flow in one of clockwise and counterclockwise direction to exit the other ofport242 or240. Hydraulic fluid flowing in the counterclockwise direction causes a corresponding directional rotation ofshaft218. Hydraulic fluid flowing in the clockwise direction causes a corresponding directional rotation ofshaft218.

In an alternate embodiment, the overall steering system of the vehicle includes theauxiliary steering system200 described above, but which does not use or require apower steering manifold212. Here, the differential pressure for theauxiliary steering system200 needs to be higher without the aid of thepower steering manifold212. The bypass system operates the same as above, allowing the higher pressures to reach bothports240 and242 of themotor202 so that no differential pressure or resulting auxiliary hydraulic force is realized within themotor202, which the operator would have to overcome assuming the cab operator is attempting to steer in an opposite direction than the remove operation.

It should be understood that various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present subject matter and without diminishing its intended advantages. It is therefore intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims.

Claims (22)

1. A vehicle comprising:

a frame;

a vehicle steering system, at least a portion of the vehicle steering system mounted to the frame, the vehicle steering system including a rotatable steering column;

wheels coupled to the steering column and configured to turn in response to a rotation of the steering column; and

an auxiliary steering system configured to rotate the steering column during remote vehicle operation, the auxiliary steering system including a direct hydraulic drive motor directly coupled to the steering column, wherein the direct hydraulic drive motor includes a rotor mounted to a drive shaft, a plurality of vanes operatively coupled to the rotor, a seal plate mounted about the rotor, and a plurality of rotational seal members that cooperate with the seal plate and the plurality of vanes.

2. The vehicle ofclaim 1, wherein the vehicle is a mobile material placer.

3. The vehicle ofclaim 2, wherein the mobile material placer comprises a body, a material hopper coupled to the body and configured to receive and store material, a feeder conveyor coupled to the body and configured to receive material stored by the material hopper, and a placer conveyor pivotably coupled to the body.

4. The vehicle ofclaim 3, wherein the placer conveyor further comprises an in-feed end and a discharge end, the in-feed end alignable with a discharge end of the feeder conveyor.

5. The vehicle ofclaim 1 further comprising a controller, and a remote control system configured to wirelessly transmit signals to the controller, the controller configured to control the operation of the auxiliary steering system.

6. The vehicle ofclaim 1, wherein the auxiliary steering system further comprises a hydraulic pump, a hydraulic fluid reservoir, and wherein the direct hydraulic drive motor and the hydraulic pump are fluidly connected to the hydraulic fluid reservoir.

7. The vehicle ofclaim 6, the direct hydraulic drive motor comprising a first hydraulic fluid port and a second hydraulic fluid port, the hydraulic drive motor configured to rotate the steering column in a bidirectional manner in response to hydraulic fluid flow from the hydraulic pump.

8. The vehicle ofclaim 1, wherein the hydraulic drive motor is mounted to the steering column in an in-line fashion.

9. A mobile material placer comprising:

a body;

a material hopper coupled to the body and configured to receive and store material;

a feeder conveyor coupled to the body and configured to receive material stored by the material hopper;

a placer conveyor coupled pivotably to the body, the placer conveyor including an in-feed end and a discharge end; the in-feed end of the placer conveyor is alignable with a discharge end of the feeder conveyor;

an auxiliary steering system including a direct hydraulic drive motor directly coupled to a steering column of the mobile material placer, the auxiliary steering system configured to cause rotation of the steering column, wherein the direct hydraulic drive motor includes a rotor mounted to a drive shaft, a plurality of vanes operatively coupled to the rotor, a seal plate mounted about the rotor, and a plurality of rotational seal members that cooperate with the seal plate and the plurality of vanes; and

an auxiliary drive mechanism configured to cause the mobile material placer to move forward and backward.

10. The mobile material placer ofclaim 9, further comprising a controller, and a remote control system configured to wirelessly transmit signals to the controller, the controller configured to control operation of the auxiliary steering system and the auxiliary drive mechanism.

11. The mobile material placer ofclaim 9, wherein the direct hydraulic drive motor is coupled to the steering column, and wherein the auxiliary steering system further comprises a hydraulic pump, a hydraulic fluid reservoir, wherein the hydraulic drive motor and the hydraulic pump are fluidly connected to the hydraulic fluid reservoir.

12. The vehicle ofclaim 11, the direct hydraulic drive motor comprises a first hydraulic fluid port and a second hydraulic fluid port, the direct hydraulic drive motor configured to rotate the steering column in a bidirectional manner in response to hydraulic fluid flow from the hydraulic pump.

13. A vehicle comprising:

an auxiliary steering system including a direct hydraulic drive motor directly coupled to a steering column of the vehicle, wherein the direct hydraulic drive motor includes a rotor mounted to a drive shaft, a plurality of vanes operatively coupled to the rotor, a seal plate mounted about the rotor, and a plurality of rotational seal members that cooperate with the seal plate and the plurality of vanes;

an auxiliary drive mechanism; and

a manual mode that enables an operator to:

(i) steer the vehicle by turning a steering wheel connected to the steering column, and

(ii) move the vehicle forwards and backwards by operating an accelerator, and a remote mode that enables the operator to:

(i) steer the vehicle via remote operation of the auxiliary steering system, and

(ii) move the vehicle forwards and backwards via remote operation of the auxiliary drive mechanism.

14. The vehicle ofclaim 13, wherein the manual mode is configured to override the remote mode when the operator turns the steering wheel.

15. The vehicle ofclaim 13, wherein the auxiliary steering system further comprises a hydraulic pump, a hydraulic fluid reservoir, and wherein the hydraulic drive motor and the hydraulic pump are fluidly connected to the hydraulic fluid reservoir.

16. The vehicle ofclaim 15, wherein the hydraulic drive motor comprises a first hydraulic fluid port and a second hydraulic fluid port, the hydraulic drive motor configured to rotate the steering column in a bidirectional manner in response to hydraulic fluid flow from the hydraulic pump.

17. The vehicle ofclaim 13, wherein the vehicle is a mobile material placer.

18. The vehicle ofclaim 17, wherein the mobile material placer comprises a body, a material hopper coupled to the body and configured to receive and store material, a feeder conveyor coupled to the body and configured to receive material stored by the material hopper, the feeder conveyor including a discharge end, and a placer conveyor pivotably coupled to the body, the placer conveyor including an in-feed end and a discharge end, the in-feed end alignable with the discharge end of the feeder conveyor.

19. The vehicle ofclaim 1, wherein the direct hydraulic drive motor is directly coupled to the steering column via a U-joint.

20. The mobile material placer ofclaim 9, wherein the direct hydraulic drive motor is directly coupled to the steering column via a U-joint.

21. The vehicle ofclaim 13, wherein the direct hydraulic drive motor is directly coupled to the steering column via a U-joint.

22. The mobile material placer ofclaim 9, which includes a hydraulic pump, wherein both the auxiliary drive system and the auxiliary steering system are powered by the hydraulic pump.

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